WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania's two senators are backing a bill introduced Tuesday that would repeal the medical device tax that helps pay for Obamacare.

Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Bob Casey are part of a bipartisan group of 10 senators pushing to undo the 2.3 percent levy on medical items ranging from pacemakers to artificial joints to tongue depressors. The Lehigh Valley is home to a number of device manufacturers, including Bethlehem's B. Braun Medical and OraSure Technologies.

The two local companies joined hundreds of other device makers that oppose the tax in a letter Tuesday to congressional leaders. In it, they argue that the levy is hindering job growth and technological developments within the health care industry.

"If this tax is not repealed, it will continue to force affected companies to cut manufacturing operations, research and development, and employment levels to recoup the lost earnings due to the tax," the companies wrote.

Toomey described the tax as costly to the state's economy as well as to its patients and workers.

"Driving up medical bills and eliminating jobs are the last things that Pennsylvania families need these days," Toomey said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the medical device tax is causing both problems and needs to be repealed."

The device tax went into effect in 2013 and is assessed on the manufacturer's prices of certain medical supplies. Some items intended for individual use, such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, and wheelchairs, are exempt.

It is projected to raise $29 billion over the next 10 years, which would be used to offset costs within the law, such as the subsidies many people need to purchase health insurance through the federal law.

The proposal introduced Tuesday does not offer a plan for replacing that money. A spokesman for Casey said the Democrat believes that finding ways to make up those dollars should be part of negotiations on the bill.

Both the House and the Senate have voted at least once to undo the tax, though neither version moved forward. The House has held more than 50 votes to fully repeal the health care law, and approved a measure in 2012 to specifically halt the device tax.

In 2013, the Senate signaled support when the provision received a bipartisan, albeit symbolic, vote as part of a nonbinding budget resolution.

When Republicans took over the Senate after the November election, GOP leaders listed repealing the device tax on their initial to-do lists. They're also seeking to roll back other parts of the health care law, including increasing the number of hours an employee must work before their company must offer health insurance.

The GOP Senate majority will need at least six Democrats to push forward any of their priorities, but a number of Democrats already have indicated their support. Tuesday's news release on the medical device tax legislation included five Democratic co-sponsors.

Casey predicted success last week when asked about efforts to repeal the tax.

"I'm hopeful that this new Congress can come together in a bipartisan way to repeal the medical device tax," he said in a statement Tuesday. "The current tax on medical devices presents significant challenges for businesses in Pennsylvania who innovate and create jobs."

Industry trade groups, such as the Advanced Medical Technology Association, have decried the tax as costing their member companies tens of thousands of slashed jobs or unfilled positions. The founder and CEO of Fountain Hill's HoverTech International said recently that the company has not been able to expand to a new building because of the cost.

Supporters of the health care law and other outside reports have found less of an impact on industry jobs and companies' revenue. A Congressional Research Service analysis projected a "fairly minor" effect on employment, estimating between 50 and 1,200 fewer workers throughout the sector.

That report concluded that the tax is more likely to fall on consumer prices than on company profits.

Still, its days could be numbered. While President Barack Obama threatened to veto previous attempts to repeal the medical device tax, he didn't rule out reconsidering the tax when asked about it late last year.

A White House spokesman did not respond to a request seeking comment on the new bill.